Though not officially named such, mohinga is considered the national dish of Myanmar. Mohinga is a fish and rice noodle soup with origins that date back to the first century. By the 19th century, it was considered a working class breakfast meal, but is now popular throughout the entire country and can be found sold at roadside stalls all day long.

Fluffy, tubular, and sugar-glazed pastries known as fartons are traditionally served alongside a glass of horchata for breakfast in the Valencia region of Spain. The creamy, milk-like drink is made from tiger nuts (chufa), and diners are encouraged to dip their fartons in the horchata to soak up the liquid. The dish is particularly popular on warmer days.

Dr. Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner is credited with inventing the Swiss breakfast muesli around 1900. Bircher-Benner ran a sanatorium near Zurich where he promoted a diet of raw foods. It was there that he conceived of muesli, which originally contained rolled oats and fruit, which were soaked in water and lemon juice overnight. Muesli wouldn’t achieve widespread popularity until the 1950s.

Calentado is a Colombian breakfast that repurposes leftovers from the day before. It was the traditional breakfast of ancestral Colombians, who lived in extreme poverty and sought not to waste any food. The meal typically contains beans, rice, plantains, and steak, which are often served alongside fresh eggs, arepas, and coffee.

If you’re wondering why the Netherlands is one of the happiest countries on Earth, it may have something to do with breakfast. Hagelslag, which is buttered bread topped with sprinkles, is so popular for breakfast that the Dutch reportedly consume millions of sprinkles annually. The country’s chocolate sprinkles are made with real cacao, while other flavors include anise (licorice) and fruit.

Ackee and saltfish is not only a typical Jamaican breakfast, but also the national dish of the country. Ackee is a savory fruit with thick, red skin that was brought to Jamaica from West Africa in the 18th century, while saltfish (salted cod) is white fish preserved in salt for longer storage.

Egg coffee is the signature drink of Hanoi, Vietnam. Called "cà phê trúng” (literally “egg coffee”), the drink is a sweet delight — rich Vietnamese coffee topped by a meringue-like egg-white foam. While Cafe Giang claims the coffee as its own invention, it’s served both hot and cold all over the city.

Created in the 1930s, gallo pinto is a breakfast dish popular in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The meal translates to “spotted rooster,” as the mixed black and red beans give the meal a speckled appearance. Gallo pinto often contains rice and beans, peppers, onions, garlic, and a light brown salsa akin to Worcestershire sauce, known locally as Lizano sauce.

One popular Peruvian breakfast option is a sandwich called pan con chicharrón, which features blood sausage, fried sweet potato, and salsa criolla (a mixture of chopped onions, lemon, and cilantro) sandwiched between two halves of a fresh bun. The sandwich pairs well with coffee or a glass of milk.

Translating to “fried pancake,” jianbing is a popular breakfast item served on the streets of China and Taiwan. The savory crepes are made of egg, wheat, and mung bean flour, and are pan-fried on a circular cast-iron griddle. The result is a puffy, fried cake that can be topped with a variety of savory items, such as ham, scallions, soybeans, hoisin sauce, cilantro, pickles, and chili sauce.

Baghrir, a special pancake made from semolina flour and yeast, is also known as a “thousand-hole pancake” or “thousand-hole crêpe” because of the tiny craters that appear on its surface as soon as the batter is poured into the hot pan. A properly cooked baghrir is spongy and tender, and served with honey, butter, and jam.

Koulouri is a rounded, bread-based breakfast snack with a chewy interior, crunchy exterior, and a sesame seed topping, much like traditional American bagels. The dish has evolved over time, and you can now find flavor variations such as tahini, as well as koulouri topped with Greek cheeses, meats, nutella, and jam. Koulouri first became popular in the Greek city of Thessaloniki in the 1920s.

Although breakfast often depends on the region, chilaquiles — fried tortilla chips bathed in a warm red or green salsa, and topped with shredded chicken, beans, Mexican crema (fresh sour cream), and avocado — are omnipresent on breakfast tables throughout Mexico. Tortillas remain one of the most essential breakfast staples in Mexico, and are traditionally consumed with eggs or beans in the morning.

Though lox (otherwise known as smoked salmon) came from Scandinavia and bagels originated in China and were refined in Italy, the idea to combine them for breakfast was born in the Jewish communities of New York City in the early 20th century. Bagels and lox are usually accompanied by cream cheese, capers, onions, and other accouterments.

The name shakshuka translates to “all mixed up,” as this popular Israeli breakfast dish features soft-cooked eggs atop a tomato sauce in an iron pan. The dish is believed to have originated in Yemen or Tunisia, though it’s since become more popularly associated with modern Israeli cuisine. Shakshuka is often served with bread for dipping.

In order to produce the chocolate part of churros con chocolate, cocoa powder is sweetened with sugar before being thickened with cornstarch to produce a rich chocolate sauce. Most often, the ooey-gooey chocolate is poured into a mug and served with churros (fried dough) or soletillas (ladyfinger cookies) for dipping.

China’s ultimate comfort food is congee, a savory rice porridge that is regularly consumed for breakfast. Combined with water and aromatics such as green onions and lotus root, rice is boiled until it changes into a pudding-like consistency. It's then topped with pork, seafood, or youtiao (fried dough).

Vegemite on toast may be a polarizing breakfast to some, but it’s beloved by Aussies. Vegemite is a spread made from yeast, spices, and vegetable additives, resulting in a thick, dark, and salty product. Vegemite lovers advise using just a thin layer of the spread on toast, as too much will produce an overpowering flavor.

As the name implies, a full English breakfast is a big meal. It tends to be fairly protein-rich, with a focus on meats and hearty side dishes that will keep you full. It typically includes sausage or Irish bacon, beans, tomatoes, fried bread, eggs, and a sauce such as ketchup or brown HP sauce.

In France, French toast is known as “pain perdu,” which translates to “lost bread.” The name originates from a time when food was scarce. To use up stale bread from the previous day, French people would dip slices into a mixture of eggs and milk and fry them in a pan.